I Carried Him From The Battle
by Torli
Summary: Anakin was staring ahead of himself, lost in the moment, not willing to part with Obi-Wan s body. He was not ready. Not yet.


**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I don't own any recognizable character in this story, they all belongs to Lucas. If I own them…let's say that lot of things would be very story was inspired by a picture from ElTheGeneral that goes under the same name on . If you want to see it, PM me and I will send you a working link. And I have asked if I can use it. That's all what you are going to get in a way of disclaimer. (Why do I even have to do it? It's FAN fiction for Force's sake!_ "sigh"_)

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Anakin was broken. He was sitting on the muddy ground, still unable to fully comprehend what has happened only few hours ago.

_No, it is not possible. It is a nightmare…No, not my Master, not Obi-Wan…Force, not him…._

He realized that something was slowly trickling down his cheeks, eluting thin riverbeds of clean, soft and pale skin amongst the filth of battle. He no longer cared who saw. He was rocking back and forth, still clinging like a frightened child to the object in his grasp. He embosomed the still, cold body of his Master closer to his chest, hoping in vain that his own heat will reawaken the sparkle of life in Obi-Wan.

_I'm just dreaming, this is not real….not real…I will wake and Obi-Wan will be there…like he always is…he will not abandon me…he never did…he promised…_

A deep, loud sob escaped him.

_He is not dead…he is not dead…._

He was repeating it like some sort of mantra. For him, it was a mantra to sanity, last thin thread to who he was. Thin, fragile and already fraying.

"General Skywalker, we have prepared the pyre. It's time to…" the voice drifted off, unsure what to say.

Anakin looked up at the speaker. It was Commander Cody, Obi-Wan´s second-in-command. If he hadn't known better he may thought that Cody was also crying.

The Force was thick around Cody with emotions – sorrow, sadness, cold fury…He was like a dark, blazing inferno in the Force to any Force-user in vicinity.

A hand descended on his shoulder, gripping him slightly, offering awkwardly what comfort it possibly could in this small gesture.

"General, if you are not up to….we can do it for you," another voice, almost identical to Cody's, spoke hesitantly. Anakin slightly turned his head to the other side and rested his tear's clouded sight on Captain Rex, his own second-in-command.

Anakin felt the presences of both clone officers behind him in the Force. Both were laced with sorrow, pain…He shut his eyes as another flow of tears struck him. The Force also allowed him to register other almost-identical presences hovering nearby. He felt their stares in his shaking back…there was pain, sorrow…but also pity for him.

He swallowed several times, trying to regain his composure. He needed to be strong. Obi-Wan would want him to be strong, to carry on…

Anakin let out a very pained exhale.

"No. I…I will carry him. One last time," he whispered silently. But he knew that both clones heard him.

Gently, he scooped up Obi-Wan´s limp body.

_So light…_

He closed his eyes and forced himself to stand up.

Then, he turned around slowly.

One of Obi-Wan´s hands was hanging down limply, occasionally brushing against his thigh. He swallowed after each contact.

Anakin felt like incapable of ever doing first step. He did it.

Cody and Rex snapped into attention.

Anakin moved on, hesitantly placing one foot in front of him at a time.

He was moving slowly, hesitantly towards the blazing pyre, where remnants of dead clone soldiers were already burned to ashes.

Still, the pyre was burning into the darkness of night, awaiting its last victim.

As if from great distance, Anakin was aware of both clone officers moving a step behind him in rigid attention.

The clones were quickly lining up along his way, standing in attention, staring ahead of them, paying last respects to the man in his arms.

The site quickly grew quiet.

Too quickly for Anakin's liking, he was in front of the blazing fire.

The unmerciful heat assaulted him.

He was staring ahead of himself, lost in the moment, not willing to part with Obi-Wan´s body.

He was not ready. Not yet.

Cody and Rex moved forward.

It needed to be done.

Anakin felt like Obi-Wan´s body was slowly slipping from him.

He gripped it harder.

_No! I'm still not ready!_

Rex gently pried Anakin's hands open. The man was struggling blindly, unwilling to part with his Master's body.

Cody helped him.

Rex and Cody held General Kenobi's body, soiled with his own blood.

They didn't need words.

One, two, three…

Limp body flied forward, ending in the fiery pit like many of their brothers before.

There was no time for proper burial.

Not for them, not for him.

Anakin fell to his knees and began sobbing.

Louder and louder.

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_A/N: Blame ElTheGeneral for this one-shot. My Muse was slumbering and suddenly, whilst relaxing on deviantart…pim, I got the idea and have to write it down. So, another dark piece to a__dd into my collection…enjoy it, if you are capable of doing so._

_Reviews will be answered as usually. Thanks in advance to those who will read and review._

_And my thanks to Elemarth, who did beta here as usually. Any mistakes left are mine, not hers._


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